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Despite the widespread popularity of 鈥渋nterdisciplinarity鈥� (a major buzz-word in current bioscience research), few programs deliver on its promise.听BioFrontiers鈥� Interdisciplinary Quantative听Biology PhD Certificate Program听(IQ Biology)听is a rare breed, designed from the ground up to break down academic silos, and foster cross-disciplinary collaboration. This unique program trains听the next generation of innovation leaders, laying the foundation for tomorrow鈥檚 bioscience advances.

To secure the future of the program, BioFrontiers advisory board members听Chris Christoffersen, Ken Hitchner, Jim Linfield, and听Jeannie Thompson, along with their families, joined together to fund听the Cech-Leinwand Endowed Graduate Fellowship. This diverse group of scientists, entrepreneurs, investors, and legal experts are longtime supporters of BioFrontiers鈥� vision, and they continue to听bolster its strength. 鈥淭he IQ Biology program is an invaluable and indispensable driver of medical breakthroughs benefiting human health. This program is of tremendous value to the University,听students, and faculty who are a part of it,鈥� says Jeannie.

Launching a Forward-Thinking Graduate Program

The IQ Biology Program was originally launched by a National Science Foundation Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) grant, which provided $3 million over five听years. With this funding, Tom Cech, Leslie Leinwand, and BioFrontiers鈥� faculty built a forward-thinking training program. Sustaining and growing the IQ Biology Program requires extensive听fundraising efforts. Chris explains, 鈥淧rograms must be endowed to become independent of the vagaries of politics, etc.鈥�

BioFrontiers aims to raise support for ten endowed fellowships for incoming students. These fellowships are essential for attracting top-notch talent and providing the resources to explore听scientific frontiers without limitations. This freedom of exploration is a cornerstone of BioFrontiers鈥� success in innovation.

In 2016, the first fellowship was established with a $1 million gift from John Milligan and his wife, Kathryn Bradford-Milligan, in honor of John鈥檚 PhD mentor, Dr. Olke Uhlenbeck. Following suit in听2017, CU alumnus and advisory board member听Evan Jones听funded a two-year fellowship to begin that fall. Evan explains, 鈥淐ontributing to an IQ Biology Fellowship is an extraordinary opportunity听to affect the lives of emerging professionals. In the future, these students will become key leaders in the life sciences. We are launching the next generation of scientists to catapult us into the听future.鈥� With the Cech-Leinwand Fellowship, the advisory board hopes to further inspire others to support the cause.

The new fellowship honors Tom and Leslie for their pioneering vision and distinctive brand of leadership. 鈥淭hey have created听a unique environment and culture of collaboration, which is really听hard to do. It鈥檚 been in the fabric of BioFrontiers since the very beginning, and that鈥檚 a testament to their leadership, values, and personalities,鈥� says Jim.

Training Tomorrow鈥檚 Bioscience Leaders

For students aiming to forge new frontiers in bioscience, the IQ Biology program is the perfect launching pad, says Jeannie. The unique interdisciplinary training will set IQ Biology graduates听up for success. 鈥淲hereas most graduate programs silo emerging scientists, stifling their creativity and training them for a very narrowly focused career, the IQ Biology Program is a very unique听model that gives students the freedom and breadth to tackle big ideas and big problems during their training and throughout their careers,鈥� says Evan. With this foundation, Jim notes, 鈥淚Q听Biology graduates will rise to leadership positions in both academia and industry thanks to their breadth of skills.鈥� IQ Biology alumni build biotech companies, become professors, and receive听prestigious postdoctoral fellowships in varied research areas.

In academic realms, their skills in bridging diverse disciplines will provide the insight to solve today鈥檚 greatest medical challenges. 鈥淭heir knowledge of other fields and how they interact will lead听them to innovative paths that others can鈥檛 see,鈥� says Chris. Jim adds, 鈥淚t鈥檚 rare to find a solution to a complex problem within a single discipline.鈥� Trained to harness the power of computational听sciences to assess biological systems, they will make breakthroughs against leading killers like cancer, and cardiovascular and infectious diseases. 鈥淏asic research here touches the most听significant health concerns of today, with the potential to help hundreds of millions of people worldwide,鈥� says Jim.

IQ Biology students are also well prepared for diverse aspects of translational science. With mentors like Tom Cech, Leslie Leinwand, and many others on the BioFrontiers team, students learn听from the best how to turn discoveries into impactful commercial ventures. 鈥淯ltimately to make a difference to people鈥檚 health, you have to develop a product and take it to market,鈥� says Jim.听Exposing students to industry operations and opportunities early on trains them to think big picture, and develop translational skills. 鈥淭hose with interdisciplinary training rise to industry leadership听because they see a broader picture. Their interest and knowledge of a wide range of topics, including clinical trial design, patent law, and finance, is extremely valuable for effective senior听management,鈥� says Jim.

By ingraining interdisciplinary thinking and skills to traverse public and private sectors early,听IQ Biology is educating a new breed of scientists with translational muscle. 鈥淏ioFrontiers听understands the need to integrate education with commercial development in order to optimize medical progress,鈥� says Ken. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a hothouse for generating the type of science and scientists who听will fertilize medical advances that will revolutionize the way we live.鈥� Ken, Jim, Jeannie, and Chris all agree the program has pioneered a unique and essential niche in training that yields not only听groundbreaking medical advances but seeds the future of bioscience research. 鈥淭hese students will invent the next set of revolutionary techniques and tools that will drive bioscience forward,鈥澨齭ays Chris.

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